Tyranny of Toxic Managers
The tyranny of toxic managers: Applying emotional intelligence to deal with difficult personalities
Toxic managers are a fact of life. Some managers are toxic most of the time; most managers are toxic some of the time. Knowing how to deal with people who are rigid, aggressive, selfcentered or exhibit other types of dysfunctional behaviour can improve your own health and that of others in the workplace. This author describes the mechanisms for coping.
By Roy Lubit Roy Lubit is a member of the Center for Research on Social and Emotional Intelligence in Organizations, and on the faculty of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York City. He is also the author of Coping with Toxic Managers and Subordinates (Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2003), and the forthcoming Coping with Toxic Organizational Dynamics. For further information see (www.roylubit.com.) Toxic managers dot the landscape in most organizations, making them seem, at times, like war zones. These managers can complicate your work, drain your energy, compromise your sanity, derail your projects and destroy your career. Your ability to deal with these corporate land mines will have a significant impact on your career. Those who are able to recognize toxic managers quickly and understand what makes them tick will be in the best position to protect themselves. Difficult managers are a fact of life and how they affect your life depends upon the skills you develop to deal with them. The issue is not simply a matter of individual survival. Toxic managers divert people's energy from the real work of the organization, destroy morale, impair retention, and interfere with cooperation and information sharing. Their behaviour, like a rock thrown into a pond, can cause ripples distorting the organization's culture and affecting people far beyond the point of impact. Senior management and HR can significantly improve an organization's culture and functioning by taking steps to find and contain those who are most
Toxic managers are a fact of life. Some managers are toxic most of the time; most managers are toxic some of the time. Knowing how to deal with people who are rigid, aggressive, selfcentered or exhibit other types of dysfunctional behaviour can improve your own health and that of others in the workplace. This author describes the mechanisms for coping.
By Roy Lubit Roy Lubit is a member of the Center for Research on Social and Emotional Intelligence in Organizations, and on the faculty of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York City. He is also the author of Coping with Toxic Managers and Subordinates (Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2003), and the forthcoming Coping with Toxic Organizational Dynamics. For further information see (www.roylubit.com.) Toxic managers dot the landscape in most organizations, making them seem, at times, like war zones. These managers can complicate your work, drain your energy, compromise your sanity, derail your projects and destroy your career. Your ability to deal with these corporate land mines will have a significant impact on your career. Those who are able to recognize toxic managers quickly and understand what makes them tick will be in the best position to protect themselves. Difficult managers are a fact of life and how they affect your life depends upon the skills you develop to deal with them. The issue is not simply a matter of individual survival. Toxic managers divert people's energy from the real work of the organization, destroy morale, impair retention, and interfere with cooperation and information sharing. Their behaviour, like a rock thrown into a pond, can cause ripples distorting the organization's culture and affecting people far beyond the point of impact. Senior management and HR can significantly improve an organization's culture and functioning by taking steps to find and contain those who are most